Sunday, February 26, 2012

How odd, an award!

I was tagged by T.Z. Wallace for a happy little blog award. Since no one has ever bestowed such a thing upon me before, I thought it might be fun to answer the questions she posed, and repeat the process for anyone who stumbles across this post and wants to continue the happy randomness.

For anyone who wants to play along, here are the rules:

The Tag rules:You must post the rules.
Answer the questions and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
Tag your award winners and link to them.
Let them know you’ve tagged them.

What book character do you had a crush on? Harry Dresden. The poor guy, he's always in trouble, but he handles it the best he can.

What was the last book that made you cry? I reread Lord of the Rings every winter, and it ALWAYS makes me cry. How sad is that?

What scenes are the hardest for you to write? Anything sexy. I always feel like it comes across as awkward and uncomfortable. Plus, my mom might read that! Ick!

Are you superstitious about your writing methods, or do you have any rituals regarding your writing? No, not really.

Do you listen to music when writing, or do you have to have silence? Often, I prefer to have the TV on with the volume turned down low in the background. I can listen to music, but it has to be consistent (not my daughter's chorus practice, but actual recorded music). I just like to not feel "alone" when I write.

What book antagonist do you love to hate? That's too hard! So many deserve our righteous hatred! :)

What is the last book that you stayed up ridiculously late to finish reading? Hit List, by L.K. Hamilton

When was the last time that you waited in line for a book release? I don't think I ever have. I have a Kindle, so I get things downloaded automatically on release day. The last author I stood in line to meet was Clive Barker. What a nice man! ;)

What book(s) is/are currently on your bedside table? Timeless, by Gail Carriger (no matter what I do, I can't seem to find the time to get started on it. Tim goes back to work tonight, so maybe I'll actually get it read now!)

What is your "guilty pleasure" book that you read and re-read? Guilty Pleasures (and the whole Anita Blake series). I thought that was an appropriate answer.

How comfortable are you calling yourself "a writer/" I write, so I'm a writer. I write things more involved than grocery lists and memos to my daughter's teachers. I still haven't figured out when I'll feel like an "Author" as opposed to a "writer."

Questions I will pose to the world (feel free to answer if you wish, either in the comments or linked back here):

What fictional character's special abilities would you like to have, and what would you do with them?

What author would you like to have a one-on-one chat with, and what would you ask them?

If you could become any animal at will, what would it be and why?

If you were offered an all-expenses paid trip anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

What do you do when you're stuck on a plot line? Do you have some specific activity to get yourself back on track or clear your head?

How do you reconnect with the story after a day or two away from writing?

What is the last book you read that made you run out and tell everyone you know about it?

If told you could only eat one food item for this entire week, what would it be?

What TV show are you embarrassed to admit you love, but you wouldn't miss it for the world?

Do you have any tattoos? If yes, why? If no, why not?

What's the first thing you do when you sit down at the computer to write?

Well, that was fun! I hope someone wants to answer my questions.

As far as my writing goes, I didn't get a lot done yesterday, because we were out selling Girl Scout cookies. We did great, with 102 boxes sold in three hours, and an additional $40 in donations! Wow! Thanks people, that was remarkably generous of you all! You're helping girls and the USO all at the same time! Good on you!

I think I need to lay off the exclamations!

Words: 11,457
Pages: 40

And we have sun outside, so I'm probably going to waste another day trying to get the deck finished. I can always write after dark, which seems to work better for me on the current book anyway. So far it's daytime in the story, but it's kind of a dark, dreary day for my poor characters, and it's hard to get into that when it's lovely and sunny outside here. Especially when I'm pressed to get the stupid deck painted.

1 comment:

1. What fictional character's special abilities would you like to have, and what would you do with them? I would like to be able to fly (although I hate heights, go figure), but that would lend itself to discovery and likely government experiments...never any fun, so I will go with...Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak. (Ok, ok, not technically a special ability, but I am still sticking with it.) 2. What author would you like to have a one-on-one chat with, and what would you ask them? Neil Gaiman...because my then 8 year old daughter wrote a book called "Regina the One Winged Owl" and illustrated it herself and had me mail it to him. AND HE ANSWERED HER! He wrote her a handwritten note! It meant the world to her (and me, for her). 3. If you could become any animal at will, what would it be and why? A cat. Cats get to be all cool and cunning. No one says to a cat, "Hey, go chase crazy criminals with guns" or "Want to go help us find cadavers?" Fine work, all, to be sure...but I will stick with cats. 4. If you were offered an all-expenses paid trip anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Scotland...family heritage. 5. What do you do when you're stuck on a plot line? Do you have some specific activity to get yourself back on track or clear your head? I got for a drive by myself. 6. How do you reconnect with the story after a day or two away from writing? I backtrack a page or two to get reoriented. 7. What is the last book you read that made you run out and tell everyone you know about it? The Hunger Games. 8. If told you could only eat one food item for this entire week, what would it be? Aw,crap. This is a nightmare question for me. I have 18 food allergies, and I kind of feel restricted enough. I think I will move on to #9 before I break out in a cold sweat. 9. What TV show are you embarrassed to admit you love, but you wouldn't miss it for the world? I ADORE Big Bang Theory, but I am not afraid to admit that. Hmmm...I love "Through the Wormhole" and "Southland" and I kinda like "New Girl." Oh, and I love,love,love "Game of Thrones!" 10. Do you have any tattoos? If yes, why? If no, why not? Yes, two. The first one I got (I kid you not) because I my then-boss said he would pay for it if I wanted one, and it seemed like a much better way to spend the day than actually working. 11. What's the first thing you do when you sit down at the computer to write? Well, write long-hand until the first draft is done, but when I finally DO get to the computer part, I have to have something to drink, and I have to turn off the TV.

About Me

Writer of Urban Fantasy and Crime-thrillery things. If I don't keep writing, whether or not anyone cares to read it, eventually the stuff inside my head starts to leak out on its own. It doesn't choose opportune, witty, or otherwise appropriate venues to display itself. It's rather like a two-year-old that way. Best keep it in a structured environment where it can't do any harm to itself or others. Unless you actually read some of it.
You can reach me at LauraHughesAuthor (at) gmail (dot) com.